Monday, May 30, 2011

Recently I asked my FB fans.."What would you like me to blog about?". One person answered, lol, and her suggestion was a good one. "Where do you get your ingredients? And what inspires the scents you make?"

Let's talk ingredients first. There are a couple places I rely on for the best stuff to put in my soap.

#1. GOOD EARTH!!! I go upstairs, and if I;m lucky...Jackie is there!

I get my herbs and favorite brand of essential oils right here. They have a wonderful selection of dried herbs and flowers thatI like to use. The essential oil brand that is used the most in my soapis NOW. I love their website and how they educate you on the properuse for their essentials. Good Earth folks are friendly and informative.They are cool people all around and I don't feel bad when I drop a wadof cash there! About 90% of herbs and add ins I use come from this localstore.

#2. WELLINGTON FRAGRANCE COMPANY!

I have been shopping with Wellington for 6 years and counting.Before I began Curat..I used to own Al-Eryani Fragrances. I liketheir customer service and the essential and aromatherapy productsthey carry are really good. I also use their coconut oil from time to time.This is not a store...they are strictly web-based and products areshipped from their Michigan location. Good folks to do business with.Plant oils come from friends in New Jersey. I haven't found a company who supplies the amounts I need at the right price. Great thing is...I have pals who deal with thee oils and they break down the drum for me.

On to my wacky ideas for great soap! I love to eat, I'm also a sous chef. I am also a member of the Fragrance Foundation. CFSS is my titleand I am trained as a fragrance sales specialist since 1999.

I use my knowledge of food and scents to come up

with soap combinations that are unique and different.

It sounds crazy...but it works! My top soap to date is Cherry Bombastic. Black cherry, paprika, chilipowder yerba santa leaf and poppy seeds. This would make one great cookie!! Then there's the recent hit, SULTAN. This soap really utilized both of my skills. It contains a custom fragrance blend that I made myself, and great foody spices. It came together really well. The next soap I am excited over is one that combines lime, corriander and black cardamom! Look for it soon.

The one main goal I have for the soap is not to be a duplicated item....or a remake on a soap I like. I mean, don't get me wrong, I use soaps made by crafters that I absolutely wished I came up with. But hey, it's THEIRS! They took the time and effort to come up with a winner and I would be a complete jackass to rip it off and change the name. One fave of mine..and I mean FAVE, is the ginger soap by Flower Child, aka, Jackie at Good Earth. I love it and may she be blessed plenty because it's a top seller of hers. I took the ginger and built a soap around it. THE HERBALIST is MY take on ginger. It's different from Jackie's and people love it. Her soap INSPIRED my version of a ginger soap. There's a lot of copy cat soapers out there.May God bless them, lol.

Many ideas come from the way I feel,and my personal life. My soap is also my personal barometer!

My friends can tell when things are fun and happy because I'll premier 3 fruity soaps in a row. Or if I'm a bit discouraged, I'll fall back on floral scents that remind me of my grandmother. My soap is very personal to me.I am just grateful that cool people love it! When you buy a bar of Curat soap, it goes towards my family's livelihood, now how can that not be appreciated? Exactly. It SO IS!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Lot's of bubbles...yet so little time! Where have the days gone, when we used to lounge in the tub and soak our cares away? A busy lifestyle means less of this pleasure. I say it's time to get back to the tub!

Take 30 minutes to run a nice bathtub full of water and just relax. Doesn't this sound wonderful! Of course it does, and here's a few make-at-home soaks for you to enjoy. Let me know if you use them and what the results are. Did you ease tension, get rejuvinated, had some well deserved time to yourself? I want to know. And this summer, I am taking a long bath every Sunday afternoon. It's a promise to myself that I must keep!

Enjoy Your tub time!

Milk & Honey Moisture Bath

To a warm bath add the following:
3 cups of warm milk (this can be cow's, goatsmilk or even soy!)
3 tablespoons of clover honey
3 drops of sweet almond oil

All recipes are by Misty Al-Eryani. You can experiment with your own creations, just be sure to have the proper dilutions when using essential oils. Essential oils and organic herbs can be purchased at you nearest specialty store. Here in Indy, I recommend Good Earth. Ask for Jackie, she is wonderful and can lead you in the right direction with using herbs and essential oils for your body!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Join 15+ local crafters on First Friday, May 6th for Handmade Promenade on the Avenue.

We will be set up in the little green space directly next to the Dean Johnson Gallery. We will have handmade jewelry, soaps, clothing, art prints, book safes, pottery, housewares, hand-poured candles, and much more!